The Lismore-headquartered University Centre for Rural Health (UCRH) has chosen a former GP to lead the 85-strong regional institution that coordinates clinical placements for medical, nursing and allied health students and undertakes extensive research on rural health issues of local and national importance.
The new Director of UCRH is Professor Ross Bailie who practiced as a GP in South Africa, where he graduated in medicine and surgery in 1983, and in New Zealand. Prof Bailie is an experienced public health doctor and researcher who for almost two decades worked with the Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin and Brisbane.
He has extensive knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health issues, and leads the NHMRC-funded Centre for Research Excellence in Integrated Quality Improvement in Indigenous primary health care.
Prof Bailie said he is committed to working in partnership with other organisations to improve the wellbeing of communities in Northern NSW, naming Northern NSW Local Health District and the North Coast Primary Health Network as two bodies highly regarded for their work with regional communities.
“There is now a greater focus on Aboriginal health, chronic diseases, mental health, ageing, substance misuse and the role of integrated care planning in keeping people out of hospital, or shortening their hospital stay,” he said.
“These initiatives are the way of the future, and we look forward to contributing however we can.”
While noting that important disparities between rural and urban areas have “a damaging effect across the whole community”, Prof Bailie said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health issues remain a key challenge.
“As the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare noted in its recent report, Indigenous Australians experience a burden of disease more than twice that of non-Indigenous citizens,” Prof Bailie said.
“While some gains are being made, there is much to be done. It is important to remember that this is not an issue that just affects remote communities, because similar statistics apply to Indigenous residents here on the North Coast.
“A report produced by the UCRH in 2012 highlighted the difference in health status between Aboriginal and other people in Northern NSW.”
Fondly recalling his five years in general practice, Prof Bailie said he worked as a new graduate in a rural town in South Africa, and undertook locums in rural NZ prior to joining a rural practice as a partner in the central North Island. He was a member of the RNZCGP.
“I really enjoyed and gained a lot from this experience, including developing my interest in preventive medicine and public health,” he said.
“Together with the experience of working in A&E and paediatrics in a regional hospital in Cape Town, the general practice experience was vital to me taking on further training in public health.
“The experience in general practice has also been important to my understanding of the complexities, nuances and challenges of general practice, and this has been critical to my research in primary health care, health services and health systems.”
Prof Bailie is delighted to be joining an organisation acknowledged as a regional success story for both its research work, which has delivered awards and grants, and coordinating practical placements for students in local hospitals, GP practices and other clinical settings.
Students come from a range of Australian universities, including main collaborators The University of Sydney, Southern Cross University, the University of Wollongong and the University of Western Sydney.
They undertake clinical work across the Northern Rivers, with many taking up positions in this region after graduation. This training makes a vital contribution to improving health services in this region and in regional areas across Australia.
The main UCRH campus is in Lismore, with education centres attached to the hospitals in Murwillumbah and Grafton, purpose-built student accommodation in Ballina, and an increasing extension of programs in other towns in the region.
Prof Bailie expressed appreciation for the role played by senior staff in the leadership of the UCRH prior to his arrival, particularly acknowledging the important ongoing contributions made by Professors Michael Douglas and Megan Passey.
He also paid tribute to his predecessor, Prof Lesley Barclay noting the particular contribution she has made to maternal and infant health and her strong commitment to improving the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities on the North Coast.
“There is no doubt that Lesley and the wider UCRH team have made a tremendous contribution to the education of health care professionals visiting or living in our region, and to enhancing the capacity of local services at both the primary and acute care levels.”
